Welcome to the Hog Blog, a blog chronicling minor-league baseball in the Lehigh Valley. Tom Housenick, The Morning Call's IronPigs beat writer, has been at The Morning Call since 2008. In a previous lifetime, he was at Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic talking with future Phillies Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard, among many others.
He’ll now be spending his summers in search of who the Phillies are hoping to be the next Chase Utley and Cole Hamels plus any outfielder who catch and hit. What he really hopes to find are the next Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Jim Thome --- great human beings who happened to be great at this sport.
He spent the last five years covering Colonial League football, college basketball and high school track & field.

Just 72 hours or so ago I thought I had a pretty good handle on who was going to be on the roster when the IronPigs played their first official game Thursday at Scranton.

Now, I'm not so sure.

In the past 24 hours the Phillies have potentially added six players to the roster: pitchers Travis Blackley, J.D. Durbin and Tim Lahey; outtfielder Chris Snelling; and infielders Ray Olmedo and Chris Woodward.

Blackley, taken by the Phillies from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft last winter, is almost certain to be on the roster. The Phillies really like the 25-year-old left hander's potential and got to keep him when he cleared waivers and the Giants decided they didn't want to spend the $25,000 fee to reclaim him after the Phillies optioned him to the minor league camp.

Durbin, Snelling and Olmedeo were sent down from the big league camp yesterday. Durbin won six games for the Phillies last year and is a former Twins' second-round pick. Snelling has played 89 games in the big leagues and is a career .311 hitter in the minors, including a .370 season (in 256 at-bats) for Triple-A Tacoma in 2005. Olmedo, a middle infielder, hit .290 last year at Syracuse and has played 198 big-league games.

Lahey, a young reliever taken by the Cubs from the Twins in the Rule 5 draft, was claimed off waivers from the Cubs, so for now he has to stay on the Phillies major-league roster. He had 14 saves last year between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester.

Woodward is a 31-year-old infielder who played more than 600 big-league games.

What this all means is there will be be some roster spots on the line in Sunday's exhibition game with the Phillies at Coca-Cola Park and Tuesday's warm-up against the Reading Phillies at Reading.

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I tried writing this next item twice since late Thursday night but both times the post disappeared due to a technical glitch, so maybe the third time will be the charm...

A few random thoughts from Florida.

1. The IronPigs should have an above-average Triple-A staff. J.A. Happ appears healthy and ready to take a few steps forward after last year's stumble in Ottawa. Blackley won 10 games last year at Fresno. Brian Mazone and Ron Chiavacci both have been successful pitchers on the Triple-A level. If Durbin is the fifth starter, that completes a pretty solid rotation.

2. There is no true closer on the staff. Matt Childers will get the first crack at holding down the job, but now you have to consider Lahey a candidate for the job when/if the Phillies decide to send him down and if they have the same luck that enabled them to keep Blackley.

3. If Mike Spidora is still with this club on opening day, he could fast become a fan favorite at Coca-Cola Park, even if he is the fourth outfielder. All he's done so far is hit everywhere he's gone, and he plays the game at full speed all the time.

4. I'm surprised how much I was reminded of my days covering the Ambassadors when I was down in Florida. Not that the level of competition/ability is the same, but I heard the same stuff from the Phillies minor league staff about the veterans they've signed (Val Pascucci, Andy Tracy et. al) as I did from Joe Calfapietra and Ed Ott about the players the brought in. That is, they all talked about past numbers and "proven track record." One thing -- if these guys do live up to their "proven track record," the IronPigs should score some runs and bear little resemblance to their offensively challenged predecessors from Ottawa.

5. If that happens, and if they stay healthy -- oir even more important, if the Phillies stay healthy and don't strip the IronPigs as they did the Lynx last year -- there appears to be no reason why this club won't be in the thick of things for an International League playoff spot.

6. I'm already tired of the whining that the IronPigs will charge for parking, and won't allow outside food/drink in the park. FACT: at least nine of the IL clubs charge for parking, and most professional arenas/stadiums charge for parking, especially in urban settings. We're just spoiled around here by the fact that Reading is an exception to that policy, and that Scranton's PNC Park is in a rural setting. I'll all but guarantee that if either of the twin cities to our north (Scranton or Wilkes-Barre) gets a downtown stadium built in the future, you'll be paying for parking. And as for the refreshment issue, no one's forciing anyone to buy at the park. Do what I've done many, many times when going to games (or even the movies, where the prices are just as outrageous) -- eat before you go or stop somewhere along the way, then limit yourself to a beverage or a treat at the park.

7. I'm also tired of the few of you (you know who you are) who refuse to let the mascot name change die. GET OVER IT.

8. Accept the fact right now you will be sitting in traffic entering or leaving the park. It's a work in progress, and for the doom and gloomers out there (again, you know who you are) to expect perfection immediately is simply ridiculous. If there's no improvement by July or August to whatever problems will pop up Sunday, then you've got a gripe. Until then, relax.

9. Finally, anyone who still believes this team will be playing to an empty stadium or be gone within five years either has his/her head stuck in the ground or ... well, I won't say it. The IronPigs will be here for a long, long time. Bank on it.

Now, PLAY BALL, and enjoy the ride we're about to embark on. If baseball can work in Altoona, Erie and Harrisburg, there's no reason it can't work here.